Sep 28, 2024 01:18 AM
(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2024 01:35 AM by C C.)
To be frank, I never understood the public's fascination with pseudo-hipster Spike. Especially since this was just before "The Sopranos" came along and triggered the trend of people rooting for "evil heroes".
So Whedon had no reference point and guidebook yet for this sort of thing. It probably was a total anomaly for him, that was derailing his original concept of the show. He was disoriented by this contrarian, developing set of circumstances.
At least David Boreanaz was a repentant vampire, so that was not as severe an adjustment when the bean-counters insisted Whedon keep him around. But Spike...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
INSIDE OF YOU CLIPS
https://youtu.be/hynZ2j9M9IE
VIDEO EXCERPTS: I remember you telling me in the first interview that there was a time where he [Joss Whedon] kind of put you against the wall and said something to you and that was like ... you know .. I said he he was joking. And you go, no. So maybe just recap that briefly, but then go into what your perception was.
In Joss's world evil is not cool. And I really respect him for that. Vampires were just a metaphor for the challenges that you get over in your adolescence.
So vampires are supposed to be overcome. He [previously] got talked by the suits into not allowing one sexy vampire to be killed off -- that was Angel.
I [as Spike] was supposed to come in and get killed off.
But the audience immediately reacted to me in a way that that made it very difficult to kill me off. The network was telling Joss, my god, keep this guy in the show, and all of that.
You were basically ruining his show, forcing him to keep you on.
Yes, but the thing is that it was going to change the show. From being about a teenager overcoming adolescence, into a show where those problems are kind of sexy.
I was killing people all the time, I was shredding them. And then the audience was going -- oh, we want more of that.
And Joss is like, no, the point is that you overcome the evil. That's the point.
So, if I was in his shoes I would have killed me off. I wouldn't have pushed me against the wall. I would have said: We paid you for five episodes, but you're dead after two.
But he didn't do that. He just got frustrated, and figured it out, but there was that day when he pushed me up against the wall.
He's in my face, he goes: I don't care how popular you are, kid, you are dead. But he didn't.
I just said it's your football, dude. You do what you want.
Was James Marsters aware of the Joss Whedon toxic workplace on Buffy?
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hynZ2j9M9IE
So Whedon had no reference point and guidebook yet for this sort of thing. It probably was a total anomaly for him, that was derailing his original concept of the show. He was disoriented by this contrarian, developing set of circumstances.
At least David Boreanaz was a repentant vampire, so that was not as severe an adjustment when the bean-counters insisted Whedon keep him around. But Spike...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
INSIDE OF YOU CLIPS
https://youtu.be/hynZ2j9M9IE
VIDEO EXCERPTS: I remember you telling me in the first interview that there was a time where he [Joss Whedon] kind of put you against the wall and said something to you and that was like ... you know .. I said he he was joking. And you go, no. So maybe just recap that briefly, but then go into what your perception was.
In Joss's world evil is not cool. And I really respect him for that. Vampires were just a metaphor for the challenges that you get over in your adolescence.
So vampires are supposed to be overcome. He [previously] got talked by the suits into not allowing one sexy vampire to be killed off -- that was Angel.
I [as Spike] was supposed to come in and get killed off.
But the audience immediately reacted to me in a way that that made it very difficult to kill me off. The network was telling Joss, my god, keep this guy in the show, and all of that.
You were basically ruining his show, forcing him to keep you on.
Yes, but the thing is that it was going to change the show. From being about a teenager overcoming adolescence, into a show where those problems are kind of sexy.
I was killing people all the time, I was shredding them. And then the audience was going -- oh, we want more of that.
And Joss is like, no, the point is that you overcome the evil. That's the point.
So, if I was in his shoes I would have killed me off. I wouldn't have pushed me against the wall. I would have said: We paid you for five episodes, but you're dead after two.
But he didn't do that. He just got frustrated, and figured it out, but there was that day when he pushed me up against the wall.
He's in my face, he goes: I don't care how popular you are, kid, you are dead. But he didn't.
I just said it's your football, dude. You do what you want.
Was James Marsters aware of the Joss Whedon toxic workplace on Buffy?